Sometimes life doesn’t go the way you want it to. As we grow up, we have to choose. Life goes by fast. You go from playing in a sand box to waiting for a boy who doesn’t know if he should ask.

Take the butterfly clips out, that’s not a thing anymore. Don’t have that nail polish; don’t have that eye shadow, let’s grab three or four. Check off first kiss on your list, then a broken heart, tighten your fist.

Apply to college, first acceptance letter. Waiting to hear back from your first choice, feels like forever. You didn’t get accepted, at least not yet. But it doesn’t matter; it feels like the end of the world, you’re so upset.

You have to keep trying, but don’t have the energy. Start throwing a pity party, really? Get over yourself. You’re graduating this year. Wipe the tears away and face your fear. Wipe off all the makeup; it’s time to get your share of the cup.

You’ve done and accomplished so much. I mean, hey, you survived high school and such. So give yourself a pat on the back. You’ve done your best and if you’re best isn’t good enough for someone, then that’s whack.

You’re perfect the way you are. Take it from Beyoncé. “Ladies tell ‘em ‘I woke up like this’ We flawless.”

You make mistakes, life is full of them, I must confess. But mistakes don’t define us, they’re not who we are. It’s the good that tells you about us and the story of our scar.

I overcame a thing called depression. No, I’m not emo. I just have a hard time with finding joy in what I used to do. I would just lie in bed or watch TV, it was all cool. But it wasn’t. I wasn’t myself. If friends wanted to hangout, I went, but I didn’t laugh, I wasn’t having fun, could you tell?

There were times when I didn’t want to exist. There wasn’t a place for me on this earth. I finally had enough. I had gone through so much shit and stuff.

I went to the doctor and was diagnosed. I take about five medications to deal with what I have. It’s a lot for someone my age, but I’m back to my old self, I can laugh. I’m going on five years now thinking I wasn’t good enough. But none of that was true. The voice in my head was just the voice of my other half being insecure.

Now I’m not saying medication cured everything, but it helped. The other part was me releasing all the feelings and secrets I kept. It was so hard, letting people in. I wanted to put on a brave face; act like everything was okay, letting people know otherwise felt like a sin.

But I worked hard, overcame the obstacles, and beat the monster that lived in the shadows. I let the words come out and they just flow. I’ve done a lot of things that I wish I could take back. But I don’t let the past define me. Look towards the future and if you work hard, you’ll succeed, that’s a fact.

I am me. You are you. We are flawless. Simple as that.